Multi-picture online commerce feature

• US 7,418,411 B2
• Filed: 11/16/2007
• Issued: 08/26/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Michael Schwartzman
• Original Assignee: Michael Schwartzman
• Inventors: Schwartzman, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): ZURITA, JAMES H
• Application Number:
  US11/941,384
• Publication Number:
  US 20080086388A1
• Time in Patent Office: 284 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26, 705/37
• US Class Current: 705/26.61
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0623 Item investigation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0625 Directed, with specific intent or strategy
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0643 Graphical representation of items or shoppers
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange

Abstract

A software application that provides images of multiple items associated by a common seller on an on-line commerce network comprising query software for automatically retrieving from a list all items associated by a common seller from a server, retrieving the location of an image of each item and retrieving the image of each item after a user has identified an item being sold by the seller from a list, display software for automatically displaying the retrieved images as thumbnail images with an image map layer containing each location of the server of a file associated with each thumbnail image. The invention also comprises a method of doing the same.

Claims

1. A computer readable medium having computer readable program for operating on a computer for enhancing a Web based selling platform, said program comprising instructions that cause the computer to perform the steps of:

retrieving images associated by a common seller based on a query of one item from said common seller from a list of items;

manipulating the retrieved images to produce a master image of thumbnail images of the retrieved images, each of the thumbnail images having unique master image coordinates; and

providing for an image map wherein a user clicks on one of the thumbnail images to send a request to a server storing the image map, said request including the unique master image coordinates of the thumbnail image, to query a Web server for a detail information page of an associated registered item and sending the information page to the user for viewing.

2. The computer readable program according to claim 1, wherein:

the thumbnail images are ordered by a filter.

3. The computer readable program according to claim 2, wherein:

the filter criteria is chosen by a user.

4. The computer readable program according to claim 1, wherein:

the retrieving step updates the retrieved images after a predetermined term.

5. The computer readable program according to claim 4, wherein:

the retrieving step eliminates the retrieved images after the predetermined term.

6. The computer readable program according to claim 1, wherein:

the retrieving step updates the retrieved images after a seller initiated action.

7. The computer readable program according to claim 6, wherein:

the retrieving step eliminates the retrieved images after the seller initiated action.

8. A system for enhancing a Web based selling platform, said system comprising:

images associated by a common seller based on a query of one item from said common seller from a list of items;

an image map generator for manipulating the associated images to produce a master image of thumbnail images of the associated images, each of the thumbnail images having unique master image coordinates, said image map generator providing an image map stored on a server; and

a Web server, wherein a user clicks on one of the thumbnail images to send a request to the server storing the image map, said request including the unique master image coordinates of the thumbnail image, to query the Web server for a detail information page of an associated registered item and sending the information page to the user for viewing.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein:

the thumbnail images are ordered by a filter.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein:

the filter criteria is chosen by the user.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein:

the associated images are updated after a predetermined term.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein:

at least one of the associated images is eliminated after the predetermined term.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein:

the associated images are updated after a seller initiated action.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein:

at least one of the associated images is eliminated after the seller initiated action.